Articles celebrating Alan Rickman’s life have been circulating the Internet since his recent passing, as well as tributes paid by both his colleagues and admirers for his legacy as an actor. Our generation greatly remembers him as the man who brought Severus Snape, the sadistic Potions professor in the "Harry Potter" series, to life on the big screen. I saw Rickman on Broadway several years ago, when he starred in the play “Seminar” and he deserves every accolade and tribute that has been given to him. However, I have also seen many tributes to Snape and that reminds me that people often glorify characters that should not be respected.
Unlike Rickman, who has been described as kind and thoughtful by those closest to him, Snape is his perfect antithesis. The latter is by far one of the most complex characters in the series, as well as one of the most intricately woven characters that I have come across in literature. Nonetheless, he is a perfect archetype of embitterment and he shows his embittered personality by his cruelty toward Potter and his other students throughout the series. I understand that some people like the way the character is written, myself included, but I find it incredibly disturbing that anyone could like Snape’s actions when he is primarily targeting a child based on his toxic relationship with Potter’s father.
While it is natural to mourn the death of a beloved actor who many of us grew up watching on the big screen, we should not misinterpret our sadness of losing Rickman as sadness for his character, who is inherently a bully. Most frequently, people push aside Snape’s most prominent character trait with the reasoning that he was a “victim” of unrequited love. Many fans have also rationalized that he was a victim of Potter’s father’s bullying and therefore, his cruelty is understandable. We are taught at a young age that no one should tolerate bullying and I am unsure of where that lesson was lost when regarding Snape. Being a product of bullying does not give someone the right to do the same as what was done to him or her. It may help us realize why he became a certain way, but that realization should not be misunderstood as understanding or acceptance.
Viewing Snape as a hero or martyr is synonymous with admiring or idealizing him, which is inexcusable, based on the principle that bullying anyone, let alone children, is fundamentally wrong. As Potter’s godfather Sirius Black says in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:" “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” Therefore, when we remember Rickman’s life, we should not re-imagine the character of Snape, but be grateful of Rickman’s truthful portrayal of a man who, despite having an agenda that saves many people, lacks the ability to rise above himself and treat those who are below him with respect.